


Paired Tree

by OnAStallion



Series: Tesseract [2]
Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Physics Dorkitude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:24:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7750432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnAStallion/pseuds/OnAStallion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Holtzmann muses and Erin finds it adorable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paired Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wobblyheadeddollcaper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wobblyheadeddollcaper/gifts).



They're at dinner one night, weeks after the conversation on the roof. Abby is mid-flow, re-telling some ridiculous story about a frog that almost certainly never happened, gesturing wildly with her fork. Patty, whose eyes are in danger of being poked out with every expansive thrust of the waving fork, is managing to simultaneously lean away and lean in, as she stretches to reach the bowl of salad. Erin is listening, vaguely, since it would be rude to tune out completely, but she's also daydreaming about how cute Holtzmann looked this morning, trying to sing along to the radio while brushing her teeth, and only managing to foam at the mouth (albeit with perfect rhythm) to Another One Bites The Dust and then real-life Holtzmann interrupts.

Abruptly. With no context.

"I rescind my hypercube wish." Abby's fork waltzes slowly to a halt as she and Patty gape at Holtzmann. Abby glances over to Erin; her arched eyebrow asks if Erin would care to provide some context to this statement. It's a look Erin is seeing more and more often these days. She wonders when she became the official Holtzmann translator. Erin opens her mouth but Holtzmann is still talking.

"I don't think it works as a concept," Holtzmann continues, staring into space. "If anything it would only draw more attention. Being a hypercube in a human world, that is. The only real answer is for everyone to have non-corporeal bodies, but that still leaves plenty room for individual interpretation, which could leave to more of the same rules and classifications." She nods slightly, as if confirming her conclusion, and then resumes eating, apparently oblivious to everything else.

There is a short pause. Abby scoops up some mashed potatoes with a determination that the dish does not quite merit, and stares at her fork in consternation.

"Uh," Erin says. 

"Actually," Holtzmann interrupts, "that might even be worse - think of the classist overtones implied with energy based lifeforms."

"What in the hell-" Patty mutters.

"Noble gases," whispers Abby, who is following this train of thought impressively well considering she has still not been given any context for this particular discussion. Her fork is dripping mashed potatoes. She catches Erin's eye, reconsiders, and mouths a dubious "right?"

Patty rolls her eyes and reaches for the now safe salad bowl. Erin resists the urge to grin.

"But," Holtzmann continues, apparently on some sort of roll now, "it would be impossible to force conformity on an entire species. Or invisibility. The death toll would be just too high." The mashed potatoes land on the table with a soft plop that nevertheless can be heard quite clearly. Holtzmann and the phrase 'death toll', it is silently and hurriedly agreed by means of three carefully blank faces, are two things best kept far, far apart. The panic is palpable.

"Asparagus?" Erin blurts, pushing the dish in front of Holtzmann. Holtzmann looks puzzled but takes a generous helping anyway.

Abby picks up the frog story, which Erin suspects is actually a metaphor for a poor romantic life choice Abby has made recently but won't outright admit to, and the tension gradually fades away.

 

Later, Erin is getting ready for bed and picking up scattered clothes from the floor. Holtzmann is curled up with a Michio Kaku book, tapping one finger against another rapidly as her eyes scan the pages. Her pajama shirt hangs hallway off her shoulder and the buttons are buttoned almost correctly. She looks so beautiful that Erin's chest hurts just from looking at her.

"I know the hypercube thing isn't feasible," Holtzmann says without looking up.

Erin waits.

"But I still like them."

Erin waits. And waits. Surprisingly, no more is forthcoming. "Would you like to be a hypercube for Halloween?"

Holtzmann snaps the book shut. Her eyes are aglow with the sort of excitement that Erin has learned to association with explosions happening in the very near future. "Yes!" she says, and then frowns, "...no."

"Huh?"

"I'd rather we were a hypercube together. Like, you be the inner framework and I'll be the outer framework. We can time our steps so that everything works just right."

Erin is grinning. "I'd like that." She pulls Holtzmann's chin up, kisses her long and slow.

"Oh," Holtzmann says, and then, " _oh_. Right." She puts the book down.

"Come to bed, my tesseract."

"Unfold me, babe." Holtzmann is kissing along her jawline.

"You're such an incorrigible dork."

"Ah, you love me."

There's a sudden, charged silence.

"I do," Erin says, and switches off the light.


End file.
